MATRON NUMBERS DOUBLED TO 5,000

More powers to ensure highest standard of cleanliness and care

There are now more than 5,000 modern matrons working in the NHS to drive up standards of cleanliness and care, Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced today.

Figures released by the Department of Health show that there are 5,538 modern matrons in post. This follows a commitment the Prime Minister made in September 2007 to double the number of modern matrons to more than 5,000 by the end of May 2008.

Matrons are responsible for improving standards of care, ensuring wards are clean and patients properly fed. They help set and monitor standards for cleaning and catering and have authority to take action where these are not met.

Matrons are strong clinical leaders given the power to make things better for patients and families, with distinctive uniforms to ensure that they are highly visible.

In particular, they have strong powers that help in the fight against hospital infections, including:

• Helping to draw up cleaning contracts – current contract guidance makes it clear that quality must be considered alongside cost when deciding how to provide cleaning services;

• Ordering additional cleaning – for instance in a one-off situation where a rapid response is required due to a spillage or on an ongoing basis;

• Withholding payments from cleaning contractors – should cleaning consistently fall below standards, matrons will have the right to seek termination of a contract.

• Reporting poor cleaning standards to the Care Quality Commission – the new regulator will have the power to follow up complaints with an inspection and will be able to impose fines or halt new admissions.

Alan Johnson said:

"Additional matrons have been recruited and given greater powers because if cleanliness is not up to scratch we expect matron to order additional cleaning and ensure that the highest standards are met or ensure that the cleaning contract is changed.

“There is no single golden bullet in the fight against infections. That is why we are attacking on many fronts, including isolating patients with infections, screening for MRSA and stringent hand-washing across the NHS. These are already producing improved results. MRSA and C difficile infection rates are falling and we are on track to halve the rate of MRSA.

“We set ourselves an ambitious milestone last year to double the number of matrons and I am very pleased that we have been able to meet this need with more than five thousand matrons now in post.”

Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust has increased its number of matrons from 44 to 53 at the end of 2007. Matrons work closely with the ward sister and are expected to be within their clinical areas 75 per cent of the time.

Guy's and St Thomas' Chief Nurse Eileen Sills said:

"We have had particular success over the past 12 months in our infection control practice and performance and this has been led by the matrons and other senior clinical staff. We have 98% compliance on hand hygiene and our MRSA bacteraemia have dropped by 36% and C. difficile rates by 24%.

"Our drive now is to focus on dignity and respect. We have a very talented group of matrons and I have no doubt that they will make a real difference."

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